B202 Coursework for academic year 2008/9

This page contains new product designs by 9 teams. There were 7-8 students in each team.

The product feasibility study was due March 30, 2009 and contributed 30% to the unit mark. Marks are available.

The product design video presentation was due May 4, 2009 and contributed 30% to the unit mark. Marks are available.

The product design report was due May 29, 2009 and contributed 40% to the unit mark. Marks are available.

Solar powered vending machine

Vending machine provides various snacks, beverages, and other products to consumers. The idea is to vend products without a cashier. Items sold via vending machines vary by country and region. We are going to design a Vending Machine with long duration power supply batteries which are rechargeable by solar cells. Unlike other types of vending machine, this machine does not need a direct power from main socket to operate. Hence, it can be placed far away from any building, as long as it could reach the sunlight. By using the solar power to operate the machine, it will reduce the domestic electrical energy usage by using other alternative power source. The aims of inventing Solar Powered Vending Machine are including:

Need for energy conservation

The machine can be placed wherever the customers are

Great advantage during power cuts

In order to achieve that, we need to consider a few things to design our product. We want to make it very convenient to the users and the hirers. The main features of the machine are including:

high power-durability

weather-proof chasis

user-friendly interface

anti-theft features

Solar Vending Machine is powered by the sun with the use of photovoltaics (Solar Panels). In a world that is becoming ever more aware of the need for energy conservation and the need to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases (eg carbon dioxide, methane), Solar Vending Machine is a machine that addresses a part of the problem caused by conventional vending machines that can be damaging to the environment as well as using mains electricity. This Solar Vending Machine can be used anywhere especially in Asian countries and Middle East countries because of the weather which the average received sunlight is almost the same through out a year. However, this product also can be used in European countries especially during summer when the available of sunlight is higher compared to other seasons.

RFID monitoring system

"Losses from shoplifting in the United Kingdom are in the region of Ł4 billion annually and figures in excess of 5% of sales revenue being lost to shoplifting are not uncommon." (Maxtag, 2005). With thieves employing various methods to deceive and elude traditional security systems, such as the current coil tagging and magnetic pillar sensor approach.

We are designing a system to combat the threat of shoplifting and allow retail outlets to track products, by utilising RFID tags with passive sensors. RFID tags can be attached to products of any value. By utilising already implemented RFID tags we will have a software program which will communicate with security devices and alert staff to the attempted theft. The system will also retain information of the product being stolen to aid tracking of the offender and the product.

With this technology having such a large potential scope, initially our design will be aimed at security at the Gunwharf Quays retail site but has other potential uses such as stock management and point of sale systems as well as tracking throughout the supply chain.

Aural delight

The Product we wish to design is a Bluetooth transmitter and Receiver Pods that connect via 3.5mm jack, universally to any MP3/4 player with the ability to stream music to enabled devices connected via the Receiver pod. This device will have the ability to connect up to a PC/Mac so that the user can assign priorities to the individual devices connected to different remote speaker terminals. These terminals will be ‘pinged’ for want of a better word to see which is in the most suitable position to the MP3/4 to be assigned as the speaker, i.e. if the user turns on his music in the living room whilst having his morning coffee over breakfast then walks outside to his car the device will stop playing in the living room when the person is ‘x’ distance away and then continue from where it left off playing on the cars speaker system. Also the Product will be able to connect to a Equalizer so the user can tune the speakers as he/she wants.

µID

Carrying so many cards for different shops can become somewhat cumbersome. If having so many wasn't a problem enough to start with, having to rifle through them to find the one you want just adds to the frustration. We've invented a system that links you to any and all your accounts so you can effortlessly go about your business. By giving every customer a unique ID installed in a wristband or implanted under the skin, you can do everything with a wave of your hand. Shops will install scanners that read your ID from the chip. Your ID along with information from the shop is sent to our database, which checks against a list of places you have an account with, and if there is a match information can then be pulled from that company. We keep no personal information from any of these accounts, only who you hold an account with. Before any transaction is finalised a confirmation will be requested. A finger scanner will accompany the RF scanner so no action will be taken without the customer physically putting their finger on the scanner.

We consider this slightly different take on the 'username and password' scheme used for so many accounts as very safe and easy to use. With this system, making purchases, gaining reward points, or even for just proof of identity, everything is secure, fast, and accurate.

SMS based booking service

Our service acts as a middleman between a venue selling tickets for an event (gig, show, exhibition etc.) and the customer. The customer only has to send a text to us (in a specific format) and they will receive, very quickly (within 5 minutes) a text back. This text has a unique code contained within it which acts as a 'virtual ticket' for that event. The text is simply shown on the door, like a paper ticket and entry to the event is gained.

In order that the code can not be randomly made up by an unscrupulous customer and shown to try and gain entry, safeguards will be put in place. Firstly the code sent to the customer will be a hash code generated from a unique venue and event ID (chosen by the venue selling the tickets for the event) and a pseudorandom code. In order to check this code and make sure a code is not used more than once (such as shared between a group of friends) the code will be checked on the door to the venue. The venue will check the code against a database of valid codes issued for that event to make sure it is valid and has not been used before. If these checks fail, the customer can be denied entry to the event. The check against the database will be carried out through a web interface to our central server, maintained by us. This web interface should be able to be used universally by devices, so the venue can choose to use a computer, a PDA, a smart phone etc. (basically any device capable of browsing the web) to check the ticket's validity. This web interface will also be used by the venues to upload the details of events for which they want us to make tickets available for. We only act as a middleman to facilitate the selling of the 'virtual tickets'.

The cost to use this service will be free to the venue (in order to get them 'on side' and get venues to join our scheme) but will cost the customer 50 pence (plus the cost of a standard text) to send us the initial request-for-a-ticket text. The cost of the ticket will be the same as if they bought it through other means (such as direct from the venue). This should encourage customers to use our service as they are not paying more for the ticket than they would normally and are getting a much higher level of convenience (what could be easier than sending a text?). The 50 pence is a small charge and is transparent to the user. This 50 pence will cover our running costs and make us our profit. If the system is successful and venues like our system and would be willing to pay for it, in the future we could start charging the venues a small fee for tickets sold through our service.

The customer will be billed monthly for any tickets they have purchased using our service, directly to their credit/debit card. This means they will have to register with us initially to use the service. Their phone number will be used as as unique identifier which will be tied into their account details. The other option we had of charging the customer was taking the money directly from their phone credit. However, charging to card alleviates the problem of a customer wishing to buy an expensive ticket for which they do not have enough credit.

Web based student housing list

Our service is an Online Based Housing list specifically dedicated to student properties in the portsmouth area. This Service will reassure its users that each and every property shown is a student property and is located within a few miles of the campus grounds.

We believe this to be very advantageous to many people, as at the moment, there is nothing quite like it. Many currently implemented, simply involve the whole of the UK and as you can imagine could give many unwanted results.

Dual MP3 mobile phone headphone

We are creating a mp3 with phone intergration headphones for a low budget. The device will combine the output call function of any mobile phone and the music playing function any mp3 player through one set of in ear headpones. It will be able to answer and cancel incoming calls and the resume playback of the music from the mp3 player when the call has ended or has been cancelled.

The headphone will be controlled by a diode mounted midway up the wire between the headphone wire. There will be a Bluetooth transmitter and receiver here which connects with the mobile phone. Most mp3 players use the standard phono headphone adaptor but most different makes of mobile phones use differnet connections. This is why we are going to use bluetooth which is a standard technology with all phones supporting bluetooth allowing an interchangable connection. The device is adapting on a standard hands free kit including all functions to operate and achieve our desired products performances.

Mr Lecture

A web service giving students access to prerecorded lectures, with additional notes and lecture information. Students will have access to the information from their own user area, with all information in a central location. The lectures and additional information will be sold at a premium with student´s purchasing a whole course´s lectures or individual units or individual lectures or a unit. The additional notes will be in a Wiki format, allowing other students collaborate and revise their notes. Notes may include handwritten notes on the lecture and any other useful information on the subject.

The website will be a aid for revision for students, or when a student has missed a lecture, or just being lazy. Lectures would need to give their approval for the lecture to be filmed/recorded. Students would be hired to film lectures and would receive a royalty for the lectures. The interface could be split into 3 sections one with the video, one for the lecture slides and the 3rd, a wiki to take notes.